What Will Marijuana Rescheduling Mean for Hemp, Which Is Already Fully Descheduled? (Marijuana Moment Op-Ed)

By Shawn Hauser

Oct 9, 2025

In a recent op-ed for Marijuana Moment, Vicente LLP partner Shawn Hauser discussed the implications of cannabis rescheduling for the hemp industry.

“Increased acceptance and understanding could drive greater consumer demand and foster more mainstream integration of hemp-derived products into appropriate regulated frameworks.”

—Shawn Hauser, Vicente LLP

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) pending reclassification of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) marks a historic and long-overdue milestone in U.S. cannabis policy. This shift acknowledges marijuana’s accepted medical use and relatively low potential for abuse, standing as a testament to decades of persistent advocacy and evolving scientific understanding

This reclassification also reveals a critical distinction in the federal cannabis landscape: marijuana is striving to reach a less restrictive status, while hemp has already achieved an unscheduled one. Similar commercial THC products are derived from both sources of cannabis, yet their regulatory frameworks and persistent federal challenges remain distinct.

Read the full piece here → Marijuana Moment: What Will Marijuana Rescheduling Mean for Hemp, Which Is Already Fully Descheduled?